Pret A Manger is a quick-service chain concept introduced in the United Kingdom. The custom-designed E&S package is minimal, yet highly efficient for outlets of varying sizes.

When entering a Pret A Manger outlet, there is no mistaking the mission of this rapidly-expanding chain of quick-service restaurants. Hanging on the walls, for instance, are framed graphics with "Pret Passion Facts" printed over the company's burgundy five-pointed star motif that inform customers about the chain's operating philosophy, including practices for food purchasing and production.

The founders of Pret are Sinclair Beecham and Julian Metcalfe, college friends who paired up 15 years ago to introduce in London a sleek foodservice concept designed to offer an alternative to hamburger-fries-shakes fast-food menus. The name Pret A Manger, meaning "ready to eat" in French, was taken from a restaurant in Hampstead, a London suburb that had tried to keep McDonald's from setting up business in the area.

Since the first Pret unit debuted, more than 100 other locations have been opened in the United Kingdom, 10 in New York City and two in Hong Kong. By 2004, 30 more units are expected to open in Manhattan, as well as more units in Hong Kong and Japan. International expansion has been fueled by, ironically, none other than McDonald's Corp., which last year secured a 33% interest in Pret.

At each Pret, explained Gabriel Yifrah, director of U.S. construction, menu items, mainly sandwiches and a selection of salads and desserts, are assembled and packaged on-premises and displayed in refrigerated display units. Soups, on-site baked croissants and cookies, and bottled and dispensed beverages also are an integral part of the menu mix. In its marketing literature and in Passion Facts, Pret emphasizes its use of "handmade, natural food." In addition, facts explain that, "Every Pret has its own kitchen. We don't have a factory. We make our sandwiches, baguettes and PretWraps one by one, in every shop, throughout the day. You won't find sell-by dates and storage information on our sandwiches and wraps. If our fresh food doesn't sell out each day, we give it away to charity rather than compromise our standards."

Unit staff begin food assembly at 7 a.m. and refresh the food supply throughout the day as needed. In a large unit, 10 stainless-steel prep tables and refrigerated ingredient display units are arranged so employees can assemble fresh ingredients into sandwiches (1,500 are made daily on average), then wrap and package them in logoed boxes (inscribed with the Pret logo and message "handmade in this Pret today" and listing natural ingredients) for presentation in refrigerated display units located in the front of the house. Certain designated sandwiches are made at specific tables. Assembly instructions, along with photographs of how each ingredient is positioned, are available at each station for employees' reference. Desserts and salads are assembled here, as well.

Players of Note

Founders: Sinclair Beecham and Julian Metcalfe

President of U.S. Operations: Jay Willoughby

Director of Food Development: Steve Capodicasa, who also supervises the U.S. test kitchen.

Director of Construction: Gabriel Yifrah

Equipment Dealer: Franke of Nashville, Tenn.

Designer: Steven Rabinoff, architect, New York City

General manager, 42nd Street unit: Naomi Golding

Assistant manager, 42nd Street unit: Jose Fret

Facts of Note

Units: More than 120 in the U.K.;10 in the United States; two in Hong Kong

Size: Large stores, 3,000-square-feet; 1,600-square-feet in the front of the house; 1,400-square-feet in the kitchen

Hours: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; 7 a.m.-5 p.m. at some sites. Some open Saturday.

Menu items: Up to 31 types of food offered daily. Included are sandwiches; salads; yogurt parfaits; soup; fresh fruit; croissants and cookies that are purchased frozen, parbaked and baked on-premises; desserts such as carrot cake and a chocolate brownie (the recipe is continually altered for improvements - 33 times to date); and a variety of bottled beverages and brewed coffees and teas. Menu items change daily; though about 12 items are "standards." Nearly 70 new items were introduced during the past year. Some breakfast items, such as muffins and croissants, are offered.

Brands: Every menu item is prepared to Pret's specifications. The Pret brand is used on every item except bottled soda.

Staff: Up to 18 employees/unit

Also in the kitchen are coffee brewers, a bean grinder, an iced-tea brewer and a countertop slicer for cutting meats and vegetables. The only products heated on-premise are soups, which are delivered to each unit in one-gallon sealed plastic bags and rethermalized in a 10-gallon electric steam-jacketed kettle before being taken out front and placed in tureens for holding and serving.

Each unit's kitchen is equipped, as well, with sinks for washing cutting boards, scoops and other utensils, and for sanitizing fruit and vegetables. Overhead steel shelving units are positioned throughout the kitchen, while floors are protected by water-resistant, non-stick vinyl.

After preparation and assembly, all menu items, which may total up to 31 each day, are taken to the front of house for display. Refrigerated items, including bottled beverages, are placed in one of five floor-to-ceiling refrigerated cases that have been positioned side by side near the entranceway.

Behind the counter from left to right in this Pret unit are a reach-in refrigerator used primarily for milk storage, two iced-tea dispensers, a drip coffee dispenser, coffee machines that produce cappuccino, latte, mocha and espresso drinks, two soup tureens and a convection oven for baking croissants and cookies, as well as tomatoes, almonds and pine nuts. Products made in the oven are placed across the aisle at the front countertop display unit. Space below the back counters is dedicated to dry and refrigerated storage.

At the front counters, customers' orders are placed either into take-out bags or on 12-inch aluminum round trays. Seating is available at larger units for 72 on stools with aluminum bases and vinyl cushions placed at bar-counters lining the walls and at round tables with marble tops.

The simplicity of the Pret concept, along with its emphasis on food variety, is what Yifrah claimed to be the chief reason for its success. Even the process for purchasing equipment was streamlined. "We started by purchasing the same equipment used in the U.K. and importing it to the States," explained Yifrah. "Now, we have the equipment customized in the States based on specifications established in the U.K. The equipment here and in the U.K. looks alike. The only difference is where it is produced." Pret's success can also be attributed to employee training and development that contribute to below industry average turnover.

With its ambitious expectations for expansion, Pret A Manger continues to refine a formula that has led to its current success. Selecting E&S so that products are productive and appropriate for the cold menu concept, as well as maintaining them to reflect the shiny, contemporary ambiance will continue to challenge the enterprising owners as they venture into the international marketplace.